Jalopnik: Car Shows

The Patinas Of Billetproof Nor-Cal 2008

Murilee Martin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT

We saw a lot of great stuff at the Billetproof Michigan show, and this weekend we get the Billetproof Nor-Cal show in Antioch. I met up with the Audi Fox-owning, Belvedere-racing Casadelshawn and we broke out the Nikons to capture the rusty, crusty, and- in some cases- sparkly surfaces to be found. Stay tuned for more Billetproof fun as the week progresses (and I get around to sorting out 99 million photographs).

Concours D'Ignorance Postponed Until 2009, Crap Car Connoisseurs Wait Impatiently

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:40:00 EDT

In what is probably one of the greatest press communications ever issued, Alan Galbraith, the brains behind Billettproof, has let us know the first Concours D'Ignorance will have to wait another year. We're a bit disappointed that we have to wait until 2009 to celebrate the eye-gougingly bad in automotive history, but for truly perfected automotive terribleness, we will happily endure. Also, the eyebrows perk up when we see Alan mention the name of fair Flint, MI. Could he actually be eyeballing Michigan's armpit as a midwest location? We certainly hope so. Aforementioned press communique below the fold.

Dear friends of d'Ignorance, Thank you so much for your support so far in our effort to highlight the Mundane and truly Awful of the Automotive world. We have decided to wait until 2009 to inflict our show upon the automotive world. Flint Michigan was not built in a day and neither is a first rate Concours. With my grueling and ever expanding Billetproof schedule I simply did not have the time to pull together a show truly awful enough to do the bottom rung of the automotive world justice in 2008. The Concours d'Ignorance will have a presence on the Monterey Peninsula this year, so keep an eye out for something awful. We will be conducting a brand awareness campaign here and there at many of the car shows during the week. The show in 2009 will be something that even the designer of the Pontiac Aztec could be proud of. Just you wait and see.

Roadster Rods Or Kool Kustoms?

Mark Arnold — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:20:00 EDT

While the cars at the Billetproof show come in all sorts of old-skool flavors, there seem to be two ends of the spectrum: hot rod roadsters on one side, and kool kustoms on the other. We know the two don't always have to be mutually exclusive; after all, just look at some of the creations from Autorama Detroit. But the pure essence of each is pretty distinct. So, toward which pole does your compass point?

Concours D'Ignorance May Be Greatest Idea In Auto Show History

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:40:00 EDT

Does the world really need an anti-Concours D'Elegance, something to celebrate everything horribly spectacular in the automobile world? Yes, yes, and yes! The genius behind the Billetproof car show (which will be happening in Davisburg, Michigan this weekend), Alan Galbraith, is at it again and proposing a new show to celebrate all that we Jalops hold dear — terrible, awful, laughably malaise-tastic and yet completely lovable cars from the past. Have a Gremlin, a Lebaron, or perhaps a Mustang II? You'll fit right in with this crowd of automotive offal. The greatest part so far — Alan has no idea when or where or how it's going to work. But we have a few ideas we'd like to pitch.

If this is going to be a celebration of all thing automotively tragic and the antithesis of Pebble Beach, we suggest holding it in Flint, Michigan, at the 235-acre concrete field formerly known as Buick City. Major sponsors should include Marvel Mystery Oil, Valvoline High-Mileage products, Bondo, JB Weld, WD40 and Spam. It should be held during the most terrifyingly hot days of August for maximum beater overheating, and all car fires should be extinguished by pushing the flaming lump into the concrete trough that is the Flint River. Oh yes, this is a good idea. (Thanks for the tip Tomsk) [Autoweek]

Curtains And A Refrigerator: 1972 Toyota Crown Super Saloon

Murilee Martin — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

We used to dream about bringing over a full-zoot Mitsubishi Debonair from Japan, but that was before we met this '72 Toyota Crown Super Saloon in the flesh at the Motoring J Style show last Saturday. The window curtains and super-luxurious interior are impressive enough, but then you open the trunk and find a factory-installed refrigerator! Imagine being the owner of a chain of mob-connected Tokyo strip clubs back in '72, being driven around in your Super Saloon while your kneecap-breaking heavies follow in a Corona Mark II! The owner of this Crown brought it over from Japan a couple years ago, and we're already pestering the Gawker Overlords to buy us one as our Official Jalopnik Staff car (sure, the Overlords ignored our entreaties when we demanded the '38 Peugeot 302, but we're not giving up!)

Bluebirds, Fairladies, Colts, And Crowns At The Motoring J Style Show

Murilee Martin — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

It does our hearts good to see Japanese cars from the days before most of the weirdness got focus-grouped out of Nippon's automakers. That's why I was eager to head over to Vallejo for the Motoring J Style show on Saturday and check out what DSwig and his crew had put together this year. The unseasonable rain made life miserable for the drift guys, but it was good news for me- cloudy skies make for easy car photography. We'll be taking a closer look at a few of these cars later in the week, but for now let's get an overview of some vintage and not-so-vintage Japanese iron.

Our Thirst For Vintage Japanese Iron To Be Slaked At Motoring J Style Show

Murilee Martin — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:00:00 EDT

We've been running into the Motoring J Style guys at the last few 24 Hours of LeMons races (their MR2 finished 3rd out of 90 at the most recent event), and they've got us all fired up about checking out some serious Japanese machinery at their big show in Vallejo this Saturday (as an added bonus, they've invited all 24 Hours of Lemons racers to bring their cars to the show). I'll be heading out to the show with Black Metal V8olvo teammate WhatWouldJesseDo in his '66 Datsun, and we hope to see the Jalopnik readership represented there. [Motoring J Style]

Ecurie Ecrappe Shows LeMons Flag at the Concorso Italiano

Murilee Martin — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 09:45:00 EST

One of the coolest cars at the 24 Hours of LeMons race at Altamont was #99, the 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider built and operated by Team Ecurie Ecrappe. This aerodynamically optimized Italian machine did very well at first, leading the pack for a while on the first day, but mechanical woes put it in 52nd place by the time the race ended. But that's not all there is to the story- it turns out Ecurie Ecrappe entered the car in the prestigious Concorso Italiano car show, where (we hope) it scandalized the date-coded, numbers-matching crowd.

Team member and fellow East Bay gearhead TheEastBayKid has this to say:

With your ongoing LeMons coverage, I thought you might be interested in our team's trip to Concorso Italiano with our LeMons car. The standards for that event are surprisingly un-hard to meet—you go online, and they ask for year, make, model, and color. Our entry read like this:
1971
Alfa Romeo
Spider
Black
We raced the car in July, showed it at Concorso, and raced it again in October. It's probably going to Thunderhill, too. I work for Jay, but run with an independent team, Ecurie Ecrappe. I still feel a responsibility to lead by example, so instead of getting a CRX or 80s BMW like everyone else, our team got the worst Alfa we could find. Makes the Cal Mille Alfetta look like a trailer queen.
The car has a trunk-mounted Honda radiator and a Ferrari 512S-inspired aero package.

Check out the incredibly well-documented story of the car's build here (seriously, check it out- far too much beautiful junkyard engineering for me to describe in this post), and then take a look at #99 wowing the Ferrari purists at Concorso Italiano in Monterey here. See the gallery below for my action shots at the October Altamont LeMons race.

Down in the Grove at Bakersfield

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:00:00 EDT

A week has past since we drove into the drizzle with a 207 thousand plus miles econobox to get to Bakerfield for a drag race that also happened to be a swap meet and car show. The roots of the California Hot Rod Reunion run deeper into history than a modern drag racing event. Behind the bleachers at Famoso Raceway is the Grove, in the ground of which trees are planted in honor of those drag racing heavyweights that have passed on. The Grove at the CHRR is packed with those who feel a strong enough connection to the action on the track to fork over a few extra sawbucks to show off their rides - with some spots conspicuously vacant after the call to the staging lanes crackled over the loudspeakers.

Super Conclusion! More Japanese Classic Car Show

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:00:00 EDT

We never did see Tony Danza as the day closed on the 3rd Annual Japanese Classic Car Show. We did catch sight of everything from a carbon-fiber Hayabusa powered Honda Z600 to a Toyota Land Cruiser Fire Truck, and said hello to Merciless Ming himself. We also met the crew from Japanese Nostalgic Car, who rolled their Cressida Wagon onto the grass to cover the event. Having taken the Starion to the 1st and 3rd shows and the Starlet to the 2nd, it seems finding a third car for the 4th Annual JCCS may be the answer to our ongoing financial ruin. [Japanesenostalgiccar.com]

Japanese Classic Car Show!

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 15:00:00 EDT

After a week or two of connecting cylinder head, engine block, and turbo back into a fusty old Mitsubishi Starion, we're back at the 3rd annual Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, California. Skylines and Honda 600 Coupes are mingling with Starlets and ~~Dodge Colts~~ Mitsubishi Lancers. And while Jay Leno rolled into the show in a Mazda Cosmo, we have yet to see Tony Danza even though his Celica is here. [Japanese Classic Car Show]

Storm Causes Injuries, Widespread Damage at Corvettes at Carlisle

Mike Spinelli — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:30:35 EDT

If you were one of the Corvette junkies staking out Carlisle Fairgrounds in Pennsylvania this past weekend for Corvettes at Carlisle, you saw Mother Nature upstage the cars on display. A freak thunderstorm reportedly brought winds of up to 75 miles per hour, while heavy rains pounded the area with little regard to the buffing of finishes and the matching of numbers. Early reports indicated a tornado had touched down nearby, but local meteorologists say it was straightline winds that caused the damage. By all accounts, several people were injured, and one 1968 'Vette was crushed by a falling tree. Our hats are off. (Thanks to Rob for the tip.) [via Cajun Dude via Corvette Blogger]

The Jalopnik Yuri Gagarin Memorial Timepiece Collection

Davey G. Johnson — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:00:00 EDT

While judges scour and pore over fine examples of coachwork from Zagato and Scaglietti, chassis and engines by Duesenberg, Aston Martin — and even a hand-picked selection of hot rods by ingenious American hoodlums — in search of a winner, Bumbeck and Johnson scoured the field for the odd little gems that most embody the spirit of awesome. Sometimes it's a detail as small as a primer bowl on a rack of Webers. Others, it's the pure aura of gigantic gobs of awesome, most strikingly displayed by the Napier-Railton Brooklands oval speed-record car. Plus, some brave individual manhandled the beast through the Corkscrew yesterday at Laguna. And what could be better than that?

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! We're Off to the Monterey Historics!

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:30:00 EDT

This afternoon the two Los Angeleno Jalops who are not the Loverman will hop in a mysical Korean bucket to be magically transported to the Monterey Peninsula for three glorious days of what can only be called The Greatest Spectacle in Auto Enthusiasm. Seriously, the events surrounding the Concours d'Elegance are that face-melting. But the greatest one of all has to be the Monterey Historics. While Pebble's got the pageantry and the "Oh my freaking bloody hell, I had no idea that this even existed and/or never thought I'd see it in my life!" factor going for it, for plebian gearheads, the Historics are where it's at. The entry fees are ridiculously reasonable...

...(unlike Pebble Beach), and what's more, some stuff you see at the track is on the 18th green on Sunday. While the conours events and auctions are stunning and plenty of the people that you meet are fascinating, a Delage on the lawn — though fantastic in its own way — still isn't a ridiculously-turbocharged 935 ass-tearing it around Laguna Seca. Plus, the featured marque this year isn't a marque at all. The theme is Indy roadsters. And nothing nothing is quite like a goddamn Offenhauser. It's the greatest-sounding four-cylinder ever built. If you can scrape up the scratch for a minivan to camp in and a plane ticket to San Jose, we suggest you get there. Meanwhile, these two donutmonkeys are going to heaven.

In Russia, Air Brushes YOU!

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:00:00 EDT

The inimitable English Russia has a gallery from Russia's Aerograph 2007 show, featuring a smattering of obsessively-artified vehicles. Sadly, there's only one ZAZ among the bunch, but as Murilee is wont to say, "...And one Zaporozhets to rule them all!" In fact, most of the vehicles are of German origin, suggesting that while they may have turned around the Germans at Volgograd, Russia's well-heeled would rather drive Mercs than Volgas. [English Russia]

Herr Roy Goes to E-Town

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:20:00 EDT

During Alex Roy's long association with Jalopnik, we've come to regard his M5 as something of a piece of folk art; a snot-beat, pricey machine that's likely done more of what it was designed to do than just about any other E39 built. Herr Roy, of course, is a showman, and while his steed of choice is generally considered one of the finest cars of the last three decades, it's still a seven-year-old blue sedan. But somehow with the addition of antennae, stickers and Albanian goat-track dust, it becomes something else. It's almost a parody of the CSL Batmobiles in a way, but just as deadly in its own right. Alex and our pals Jeff Musical, Emil Rensing and Rob Ferretti took the M5 and a few other chips of the Bruce block down to Englishtown for the VW/Audi show at Waterfest over the weekend. It was bad enough that Roy showed up in a Bimmer. Worse? Rensing brought his F430. [Team Polizei]

Bad Spray Leaves Tulsan Classic Car Owners Ultramega Un-OK

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:15:00 EDT

An undetermined brown-red spray showered a cadre of classic cars at the 35th annual Pontiac Oakland Convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They've yet to determine the makeup or the source of the airborne spew, but it damaged most of the 369 vehicles involved in the show. And given that the judging process required at least one passenger window left open, the flying schmutz gunked up the cars' interiors as well. While a nearby construction site is suspected to be the culprit, we're wondering if the Tulsan Belvedere Time Capsule wasn't exacting its revenge on rival classics, Double Dare-style. [Forbes]

MOD Squad Hits Triple Diamonds in Third Year

Mike Bumbeck — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:30:00 EDT

Having been to the first annual Mitsubishi Owners Day three years ago, the sheer number of Lancer Evolutions tearing up the roads today seems almost impossible. So many EVOS appeared that the cars overflowed onto the nearby streets of MMUSA HQ. While there was some temporary grumbling that Prototype X showed up instead of the production version, there were plenty of 3000GTs, Starions, and Eclipses to keep everyone happily distracted. Stay tuned for some mini-galleries focusing in on some of the historic rides on shipped over from the museum in Japan on display at MOD. The good news is you've got another year to get that Mitsubishi 500 ready to roll.

Mitsubishi Owner's Day

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:30:00 EDT

The third annual gathering of Mitsubishis and the people that drive them will take place tomorrow, July 14th at MMUSA HQ in Cypress, California. Rumor has it that a genuine Group A Starion will be among the machines rolled out from the museum to celebrate triple-diamond racing heritage. As much as we would have liked to put our Starion back together for the show, we'll have to settle for bringing the camera instead. [Mitsubishi Owner's Day via Mitsubishi]

Jalopnik Flickr Finds: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2007

Mike Spinelli — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 18:48:40 EDT

The epicenter of automotive coolness this weekend is approximately 50°52'2.38"N and 0°43'58.46"W. That's the Goodwood Estate, where all manner of vehicular foolishness is happening this weekend. For said car p0rn, check out this delectable Flickr pool, or see what Autoblog Frank uncovered on his trip there. Very nice, indeed. – Mike Spinelli

Goodwood Festival of Speed Flickr Pool [Flickr]

Open House of Velocity and Tradition

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EDT

The worst of Los Angeles must often be endured to find the best of what makes Southern California great. The reward for fighting a brutal snarl of typical eastbound Friday afternoon Los Angeles traffic was the So-Cal Speed Shop Open House. The history that began with Alex Xydias after World War Two is still being made. The SoCal 800 horsepower turbocharged and intercooled Ecotec-powered 34 roadster carries tradition down the long black line of land speed racing, and Jimmy Shine creations help keep tradition rolling down the boulevards of the basin. As shown by the sheer number of machines and folks that rolled in from as far away as Vermont, the So-Cal Speed Shop continues at the nexus of California hot rodding. While the LA Roadster Show may catch more notoriety, they weren't giving away In-N-Out Burgers. – Mike Bumbeck

So-Cal Speed Shop [so-calspeedshop.com]

Son of Swig Gets Excited About Japanese Iron

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:30:00 EDT

Maybe we're being a bit cruel by throwing California Mille founder and noted classic-car raconteur Martin Swig's son, David, under his dad's vintage bus for calling his new car show "Motoring J-Style." But then again, Martin's never shied away from looking like a dork, either. We just hope that Swig The Younger pulls it off with as much aplomb as his dad does. And we can certainly get behind his cause. It's a Japanese car show at the Solano County Fairgrounds that'll showcase everything from Toyopets to T-Types. Okay. Not T-Types. Regardless, we totally back vintage iron from the land where the sun also rises (yeah, we like the Leon Cupra, too). So subtract the Buicks and the SEATs, keep the turbochargers, and if you're rollin' correct in or around the V, give it a check-out. – Davey G. Johnson

Car fan holds first big-scale Japanese show in U.S. [San Jose Mercury News]

Related:
Since 1957: All Toyotafest 2007 [Internal]

Volkswagen Sharan Spotted In Irvine

Jonny Lieberman — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:15:00 EDT

This past weekend at the 2007 VW Classic in Irvine, California we saw a lot of cool metal. I mean, Tempo Matador – what else do you want? Wild rumor and speculation had it there would be some new VWs in attendance. We were thinking a new Scirocco might be there, or even better, a new rear-engined little guy. No such luck. Not even a Tiguan. But then we went out to the parking lot to grab some beers out of the cooler and BAM! There was this Sharan. Just sitting there, parked like any other car. Euro-type plate up front...

Dealer plate in the rear. Hmmmmm... you think? – Jonny Lieberman

Related:
Zeus is Angry: Back to Athens in a Sharan [Internal]

You Are There: The 2007 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance

Mike Spinelli — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:28:30 EDT

No one tried to sell me a private plane this time, but I did get laughed out of the Lamborghini Greenwich tent. I figured I could smooth talk my way into a test drive if I wore enough seersucker. I was wrong. That wasn't much of a surprise, but something else was: I love Packards (I had no idea). On a 90-plus degree day in Greenwich it was time to celebrate American Iron. Rolling sculptures of sheetmetal were on display, ringed by vendors of $100,000-and-up European cars with a legitimate chance to make a sale. You want to recreate the vibe? Have about three beers to give yourself a pleasant, low-grade buzz, get yourself some deck shoes, a belt with whales on it, and two matching dogs on one leash, and then go stand in a sauna with The Girl From Ipanema playing in the background. That's about right. The sights and commentary are in the galleries. As always, the show started in the parking lot. – James Gribbon

Billetproof 2007: Hot Rod Wrap Up

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:00:00 EDT

There were so many cool rods at this event that it's hard to highlight them all. Can you really highlight a Caddy with an air suspension that's "layin' frame" over a nutjob that put flappers on all eight hand made exhaust pipes? Or how about epic pinstriping over oh so smokin' hot rockabilly chicks? You don't. If you're lazy (like me), you post all the great shots of cool stuff in one gallery for the people of the year (you) to ogle for a while. At the end of the day, even though I ran from the barrage of giant raindrops like a little girl to my overengineered Deutschmobile, the rods at Billetproof '07 were so nicely built that I can't help but mark my calendar for next year - and that's an indication of radness right there.– Ben Wojdyla

Billetproof 2007: Great Trophies, or Greatest Trophies?

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:15:00 EDT

Trophies at bowling leagues and the ten million other throw away events held across this great nation are often a study in sameness. Plastic base, gold-plated plastic pedestal, fake wood/metal pillar, all topped off with a tiny gold man in the act of *insert here*. At Billetproof, much like everything else, they are high art. A flaked sprayer for best paint and a primered insect sprayer for best primer - now that's clever. How about the catastrophically melted piston head for best burn out? Axe and hacksaw in the "Best Basher" category? There's something to be said when even an events' trophies make us swoon. Check out the gallery for complete ogling. – Ben Wojdyla

Billetproof 2007: Party Wagon Zen

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:30:00 EDT

When we saw this minitanker mit bier thema — duallies, high Schlitz shifter, bull's head hood ornament and exposed u-joint — it was as if we'd found our hot rod soulmate. It's low, it's rough, it's a little bit ugly, but it is creative and it brings (or pretends to bring) hoppy refreshment to the unwashed masses. There isn't much not to love. If there were beirmaidens involved we would have never left.– Ben Wojdyla

Billetproof 2007: El. Camino. Burnout.

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EDT

The Jalopnik fanboyism hit a high water mark as the foreboding clouds lingered ominously to the west. This is what a 1966 (okay, they bent the rules) El Camino with a 350, a high-rise Offenhauser intake system, and dual Holley four barrels does in a burnout contest. Oh yes, he shredded those tires. Shredded them like a truck/car from hell. The sweetly scented clouds of liquefied rubber rose high above the masses and baptized us all in the glory that is El Camino. Oh gallery, how much Camino love can you contain?– Ben Wojdyla

Related:
Billetproof 2007: Hot Rod Like it's 1959 [internal]

Hoon of the Day: Skyline Driftamino![internal]

Billetproof 2007: Supercharger Madness!

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:46:26 EDT

Here we have a study in comparative scale. On a 454 or 460, this monstrous B&M supercharger would look normal, but here, perched atop a smaller V8 of unknown displacement, it looks ludicrous... ludicrously AWESOME! Sure, the engine is probably spending most of its time powering just the charger, but jeebus, that whine must sound heavenly when at full snort. Oh baby. In the gallery is the teeny tiny but banshee fast roots unit mounted so high I had to look up to see it! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it was at least chest level, at least. And look at those headers! Ugly and cool. – Ben Wojdyla

Related:
Billetproof 2007: Hot Rod Like it's 1959 [internal]

Billetproof 2007: Hot Rod Like it's 1959

bwojdyla — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:16:12 EDT

Once, we were trying to think up a clever and marketable name for the sport of tying small knives to the paws of crazed squirrels and setting them loose in yuppie restaurants. We only came up with funny names (e.g., Super Amazing Squirrel Knife Fight Happy Time), but nothing that was both instantly recognizable AND clever. Billetproof on the other hand is evocative of the growing anti-trailer queen hot rod movement and it happens to be the name of an eleven-year-old car and culture show. The rules include no billet (imagine that), no digital gauges, no cars newer than 1964 ('65 in the Cali events) and the like. Awesome old-style rods converged on tiny Davisburg, MI this past Saturday, and while the Gods smote us with a gnarly thunderstorm eventually, radness had its moment in the sun. Stay tuned for full coverage. If you live on the left coast, check out their site for details on the September NorCal show. See artsy image of the pending smotage after the jump. – Ben Wojdyla

[Billetproof]

Related:
Billetproof 2007: Supercharger Madness! [internal]

All Your Kit Cars Are Belong to Carlisle

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:00:00 EDT

I used to think Spinelli, Wert, and company had the best jobs ever because they got to drive concept mules, travel to exotic places sponsored by Bruce, and cover car shows for a living. Well, having visited the recent Carlisle Import/Kit/Replicar Nationals show with an eye toward writing something worth guest posting, I can tell you that it is not the easiest way to make a living. First of all, try walking miles in the midday sun for a few hours. Resisting the temptation to stop at every funnel cake vendor you see. All the while keeping an eye out for the diamonds among the rough...and at Carlisle, there was plenty of rough. I am still amazed at the lengths people will go to ruin a perfectly good Fiero. Then you've got to take photos that add enough visual interest to keep the commenters off your back. Which may or may not include shooing people out of your frame. Mike Bumbeck, you are my hero.

But I tried my best. And here are the highlights of my day at Carlisle.

The Se7ens
If you didn't already know, now's a good time to make it perfectly clear that I attend the church of Colin Chapman with some regularity. I'm the acting president of the USA7s club and a co-organizer of the upcoming Se7ens meet down at Deals Gap. That's not some stock photo in my avatar, either. So it should come as no surprise that I came to Carlisle looking for Lotus Seven-inspired Sportscars (LSiS). And I found a handful, including one in a very unexpected place.

Westfield and Brunton Automotive were located in the same open sided building. I'd never seen either variant on the LSiS theme in person before, so it was nice to have Justin Sims of Brunton (http://www.bruntonauto.com) on hand to give me a tour of the Stalker kit makes with his stepfather, Dennis Brunton. The Stalker uses a GM V6 drivetrain and the pretty silver and black customer car they had on hand featured a supercharger.

The Westfield booth featured the triumvirate of Doug Beckett, Tom McClintock, and Julian Turner. Doug's the relatively new East Coast dealer/builder who brought the Miata-engined Westfield 1600 on display; Tom runs Manik, LLC, the Texas-based US distributor; and Julian Turner is the Managing Director of Westfield Sportscars over in the UK. I think they were all moderately amused that I was fawning over their cars while wearing a Caterham hat.

The 1600 is an LSiS that uses a Miata donor car. From the engine to the gauge pod to the wheels. The Orange 1600 they had on display was well turned out, with excellent padded seats that I'd trade my Kevlar Tilletts for in heartbeat. When I sat in one of these perches, I noticed that I could barely see over the scuttle (I'm trying to use as many Se7en-centric terms as possible in this paragraph). The guys told me that this particular car had the lowered floor option — which gives tall guys a little more room. While the all fiberglass body may not be every one's cup of tea (original Loti had aluminum body panels and fenders), Doug says turnkey cars are available for under $30k, which is a lot less than I paid for my Superlight a few years back. So I think they'll sell lots of these.

In addition to a few other LSiS-related vendors displaying their wares, I found a Caterham Twin Cam, a Dax Rush with nitrous Hayabusa power (this thing runs low three second 0-60 times) — both being shown by their respective owners, as well as a Locost built around Volvo P1800 mechanicals. It was the first Se7en I saw in the open car show parking area, and I thought it was a mistake because it was sitting in the Volvo area.

The Hartley V8
You know you make a good product when your trade show booth consists of a piece of yellow lined paper, a business card, a wooden folding table, and your product — and there's still a line of people waiting to talk to you.

That's the situation I found John Hartley in when I went looking for the H1-V8. For those of you who haven't heard of the H1, it's a 2.8 liter V8 built around a custom block and crankshaft that uses Suzuki Hayabusa top end bits. I think it redlines up at 11,000 RPM, making 400 horsepower a few hundred revs below that. It's light and small enough that John managed to shoehorn one into his Caterham without modifying the bonnet. John's site has videos of the car on the dyno that are pretty amazing.

According to John, he's sold three of motors so far — although none have made it into fully operational vehicles yet (besides the one in his Seven). I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the $28,000 mills are more common with the add-lightness set. It might sound expensive, but you can't get close to that sort of power in a normally aspirated engine that will fit into a Se7en.

Later in the day, I saw John Hartley at the Westfield booth. He was digging the XI they had brought along — so perhaps we'll see some sort of Westfield-Hartley to follow in the footsteps of original Westfield SEight.

Odds and Ends
The only sorts of car shows I had gone to in the past were either the New York show or a smaller regional marque-specific meet (Porsche, Ferrari, etc.). So you can imagine my surprise when faced with the sprawl of something like Carlisle. By the time I got home, I was beat.

There were a few acres dedicated to a parts and assorted car stuff "swap meet". A few acres given over to kit/replicar manufacturer and dealers. About an acre of "car corral", where vehicles are for sale, cash and carry. A few more acres of show field for cars of all types (including ones that you don't have to build yourself), including at least two acres of Fieros of every imaginable configuration.

Not surprisingly, the Cobra and its various authorized and unauthorized offspring were the most common kit/replicar car at Carlisle this weekend. Cobras at Carlisle were sort of like hot women in Manhattan, there are so many that eventually you just tune them out. My personal favorite vehicle of the meet was this electric blue Renault R5 Turbo in a very deep field of French cars. It had the "hot at the time" asymmetric steering wheel, and an orange interior. – Al Navarro

Corvairs Make the Books in Burbank

Mike Bumbeck — Tue, 22 May 2007 15:00:00 EDT

A small but dedicated group of Corvair owners met at our favorite Burbank bookstore this last Saturday morning for some rear engine togetherness. Among the examples attending were a Corvair powered by a Buick V-8, and a '69 Glass Enterprises Bounty Hunter Corvair-powered Dune Buggy. Our attention was divided between the factory stock draw-through turbo equipped '66 Corsa, the fully equipped Greenbrier van, and the die-cast Fiat 500 in the bookstore. – Mike Bumbeck

Corsa West of Los Angeles [corvair.org] ; Autobooks-Aerobooks [autobooks-aerobooks.com]

Related:
Yes, Johnny! Alfa Romeos in Burbank [Internal]

Orleans '89: Wacky 2CVs

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 21 May 2007 15:00:00 EDT

Back when we thought Generra Hypercolor shirts were a good idea, a bunch of Frankish nutters in 2CVs and 2CV-based machines got together in Orleans, France for a motorized hoedown. Somehow, it does not surprise us that any of these vehicles exist, but when we think that somebody actually took the time to build them, our minds boggle a bit. It seems more like they should've sprung fully formed from the head of André Citroën's younger brother, Jim, during one of his more profligate peyote benders. – Davey G. Johnson

Since 1957: All Toyotafest 2007

Mike Bumbeck — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:30:00 EDT

All manner of Toyotas rolled into the Queen Mary in Long Beach for this year's All Toyotafest. The Toyota Owner's and Restorer's Club threw the party, and invited all years and makes of Toyotas to help celebrate the company's 50th Anniversary in America. As Long Beach was where Toyota opened its first American manufacturing plant in 1972, it seemed a fitting spot for this reunion of sorts. Up until a few short days ago the thought of slamming a 1978 Cressida had somehow not yet ventured into our noggins. Walk through the gallery for a through the years look at Toyota from Toyopet to toaster. – Mike Bumbeck

That Psychedelic 70s Car Show

Mike Bumbeck — Wed, 02 May 2007 15:30:00 EDT

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is putting out the call to all unique and unusual rides from the 70s. Owners are encouraged to roll in and help celebrate the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Psychedelic 70s Car Show, from May 18th to 20th. As a Sunday bonus the entire group will be invited out onto the Brickyard for a parade lap. Brush the dust off that 1976 Mercury Bobcat, break out the 8-Tracks, and register before May 11th. – Mike Bumbeck

[Thanks to Cole Coonce for the tip]

Psychedelic 70s Car Show [indy500.com]

2nd Annual LX Festival

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:30:00 EDT

From the car show that happened last Saturday department comes this gallery of the LX Festival down in Irvine, California. The term LX is the code for the platform that holds the 300C, Magnum, Charger and soon-to-be Challenger. The LX platform has been around long enough to develop a following of faithful rollers and customizers, who traveled in all-points US and Canada - complete with bugs and diamonds all over the grille. We wanted to bring some post-show burnout shots, but the Irvine Police showed up and put a stop to any hoonage before it started. – Mike Bumbeck

All Toyotafest to Celebrate Toyota 50th Anniversary

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 14:15:00 EDT

Believe it or not, Toyota has been selling cars and trucks in America for 50 years now. The one place to see rolling examples of all those 50 years is at the 12th Annual All Toyotafest, coming to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California this May 12th. This year the Toyota Museum will be rolling in with the faithful and displaying some vintage Toyotas in honor of the 50th Anniversary. Since this year's All Toyotafest is still in the future, we offer up a huge gallery of Toyotas from last year's All Toyotafest. Everything from early Toyopets to the most awesome Toyota 2000GT is in the gallery, which starts after the show at the Toyota Museum and works backwards in time. Registration for the 2007 All Toyotafest is now open, so yank that Crown Toyoglide Wagon out of the barn and sign up for the show. – Mike Bumbeck

Toyota Owner's and Restorers Club All Toyotafest [Toyotaclub.org]

Related:
Toyoglide Crowns Starlets at T.O.R.C. BBQ [Internal]

Toyoglide Crowns Starlets at T.O.R.C. BBQ

Mike Bumbeck — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 11:00:00 EST

A small gathering of old school Toyotas foreshadowed the upcoming and entirely more massive ALL TOYOTAFEST, scheduled to help celebrate Toyota's 50th Anniversary in America at the Queen Mary in Long Beach this May. The Toyota Owner's and Restorer's Club [T.O.R.C] was established in 1995 with the goal of keeping pre-1985 Toyotas rolling and racing. The T.O.R.C. hosts the ALL TOYOTAFEST, which is open to all manner of Toyota. At this meet Starlets and Tercel SR5's coexisted together with MR2's, along with delicious hot dogs and burgers. None other than Chito Solomon himself employed 2600cc's of displacement and Toyoglide automatic transmission to get his Crown rolling in from the Valley to Harbor City. More Starlets, and return of Coronamino in the gallery. – Mike Bumbeck

Toyota Owners and Restorers Club [T.O.R.C]

Yes, Johnny! Alfa Romeos in Burbank

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:49:24 EST

Saturday morning in Los Angeles sometimes leads to the former broadcast home of Johnny Carson and the birthplace of the SR-71. There's something good going on at Burbank's Autobooks-Aerobooks most every Saturday morning, and sometimes the fun even stretches into the afternoon with book signings and hob-nobbing. This week the Burbank bookstore crew teamed up with the Alfa Romeo Owners of Southern California and served up a bunch of fine Italian automobiles along with the usual donuts and coffee. Autobooks-Aerobooks has been doing this sort of thing since 1951, and features toys and entertainment as well as scads of books and magazines. The Alfa Romeo owners produced not one, but two '70s-vintage quad-cam fuel injected V-8 Alfa Romeo Montreals! Find these Italian cars named after a French Canadian city and more in the gallery. – Mike Bumbeck

Autobooks-Aerobooks [autobooks-aerobooks.com]; Alfa Romeo Owners of Southern California [AROSC.org]

Related:
Early Rodders Saturday Morning Meet [Internal]

Early Rodders Saturday Morning Meet

Mike Bumbeck — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:21:13 EST

Early Saturday mornings are a fine time for a car show. Meet early. Grab some coffee. Have a donut, or a bagel. Hob nob about cars. Here in Los Angeles there's always some manner of car show going on, sometimes right in the back yard. To that end we bring you a gallery of images from this morning's Early Rodders car show. When they say early they mean AM, and they're not kidding. The gathering takes place every Saturday from 7-9 AM at 1929 Verdugo Rd in La Canada, California. The Early Rodders welcome any kind of motorized vehicle. This loosey goosey philosophy was reflected in the vehicles that showed up. Even better was that everyone fired these beauties up and drove off when the show was over. Not one trailer queen in the bunch. Yes the R5 was wicked awesome, and yes there's more of it in the gallery. – Mike Bumbeck

Early Rodders [External]